Julia Conley, Common Dreams

“Clueless and depressing” was how one voting rights expert described the Democratic National Committee’s Thursday announcement of a new $25 million plan to invest in get-out-the-vote efforts ahead of the 2022 midterm elections—an effort that critics said the Biden administration appeared to be treating as an alternative to passing voting rights legislation like the For the People Act.

The “I Will Vote” plan, unveiled by Vice President Kamala Harris at Howard University, conveyed little understanding of the fact that “we stand at an inflection point about whether we can be a multiracial democracy or not,” said Michael Li, senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice’s Democracy Program, who highlighted the Republican Party’s concerted voter suppression efforts across the country.

According to the Brennan Center, 17 states have enacted 28 new laws restricting voting rights so far this year, with dozens more expected to pass in Republican-led legislatures. Newly passed laws include bans on curbside voting, restrictions on absentee voting, termination of Election Day registration in Montana, and purges of voter rolls—voter suppression tactics which won’t be countered by encouraging Democratic voters to show up at the polls, Li and other critics said.

Last month, the White House enlisted the help of Silicon Valley executive Reid Harrison, who hosted a virtual fundraiser for the DNC’s initiative.

“There is a faction within the White House that thinks the best way to respond to voter suppression laws is not to fix the laws, but to get big donors to fund a giant GOTV operation,” said Ryan Grim, Washington bureau chief for The Intercept. 

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